Developing Interview Questions in Undergraduate Classrooms: Introducing a Rubric for Question Development

ABSTRACT Interviewing is a widely used method in political science. Nevertheless, the emphasis on teaching quantitative methods means that proper training for interviewing is lacking at the undergraduate level. In this article we provide tools for instructors to better prepare students to conduct interviews as a research method. Anchoring our discussion on developing good and ethically sound interview questions, we introduce a rubric to assess question development and explore best practices in developing interview questions in three courses in educational institutions with distinct characteristics.

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Publication Details

Journal
PS Political Science & Politics
Published
2026-02-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049096525101649
Primary Topic
Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Developing Interview Questions in Undergraduate Classrooms: Introducing a Rubric for Question Development

Xiaoye She, Pedro A. G. dos Santos, Mary P. McGuire
PS Political Science & Politics
Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences
article

Developing Interview Questions in Undergraduate Classrooms: Introducing a Rubric for Question Development

Xiaoye She, Pedro A. G. dos Santos, Mary P. McGuire
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Interviewing is a widely used method in political science. Nevertheless, the emphasis on teaching quantitative methods means that proper training for interviewing is lacking at the undergraduate level. In this article we provide tools for instructors to better prepare students to conduct interviews as a research method. Anchoring our discussion on developing good and ethically sound interview questions, we introduce a rubric to assess question development and explore best practices in developing interview questions in three courses in educational institutions with distinct characteristics.

PS Political Science & Politics
California State University System (US), College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University (US), SUNY Cortland (US)
American Political Science Association
Openalex Percentile: Top 54%
Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences
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